04/19/24
January 25, 2004
Chicago to get its own soccer stadium: that will give 4 of the 10 teams with soccer-specific facilities. Does the MLS have a chance to break into the national sports conscience?
Awesome!! But where the hell is Bridgeview?!
posted by StarFucker at 11:42 PM on January 25, 2004
There's still some way to go for MLS. For a start, the league has to become profitable. Much of the problem is with teams with poor stadium leases. I understand that Fire losses have been "7 digit" every year since the team's inception. A new stadium will help, but will it help enough? Then there's the issue of DCU and Metrostars, both stuck in terrible stadium deals. The league will contunue to struggle as long as these two teams play in RFK and Giants Stadium. Then there's the issue of TV coverage. The games may be on ESPN, but ESPN isn't paying anything for the privilege. The NHL got $600 million for their last 5 year deal. The next deal will be lower, but still probably over $60 million / year. On that basis, MLS ought to be worth something like $20 million / year. So basically, you can say MLS has made it, when it stops heamorraging money to bad stadium deals, and when TV will actually pay to cover the games.
posted by salmacis at 06:02 AM on January 26, 2004
Bridgeview is on the south side of the city.
posted by Tannerman at 10:22 AM on January 26, 2004
FWIW, I think the Burn have made a major mistake with the location of their stadium. It's about 45 minutes each way from Central Dallas, not to mention the south side, which is where the large pockets of Hispanics (a big chunk of the target market) live. The Burn were playing last year in a stadium about an hour from Central Dallas and attendance dropped ~ 25-30% (although poor performance was certainly a factor as well). This year they're back in the Cotton Bowl, about 5 minutes from downtown, where they had been playing since the inception of the league. Why would they want to build their stadium so freaking far out? I have no idea, but I don't think it bodes well for the team.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:34 AM on January 26, 2004
Why build a stadium in an inconvenient location? Money. Cheaper land and a better deal from the community would be my guess.
posted by gspm at 11:17 AM on January 26, 2004
I like watching soccer but I love watching soccer at the Crew's soccer stadium. It makes a huge difference in terms of atmosphere.
posted by mick at 11:30 AM on January 26, 2004
I just found out where Bridgeview is... I won't be making it to many games... God dammit!
posted by StarFucker at 11:41 AM on January 26, 2004
I'm sure they did get cheaper land and some promises from the community, but it seems to me that if your team is playing more than 30 minutes outside of the city it's named after, something ain't right. If Austin had offered a better deal, could they have played there? Granted, a lot of my problem with this is frustration, but it still doesn't make sense to me to move your team 45 minutes away from 90% of your prospective attendees.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:02 PM on January 26, 2004
Ufez, Star Fucker, are either of you aware of correctly sized and available parcels with better locations? Stadiums are not the easiest real estate projects to put together due to size, transportation access, and NIMBY issues. Salmacis: I hear you on the stadium and TV, though I believe that the MetroStars, at least, are working on their own venue. If the Devils leave the Meadowlands for Newark, the Jets for Manhattan and the Nets for Brooklyn, tearing down Continental Arena and replacing it with a soccer stadium seems much more feasible.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:13 PM on January 26, 2004
Arlington Heights was a great location...but the city wouldn't go for it, i guess... I'd rather they stay at Soldier Field than where they are planning...
posted by StarFucker at 01:51 PM on January 26, 2004
Re: correct size and parcel... It'd've been nice (and expanded the potential support) if the Burn could've worked out a deal to jump in with Jerry Jones on his new Dallas Cowboys Park begging initiative. I would've been less against it anyways. Failing that, the Cotton Bowl was fine with me too (since SMU's stadium, which would've been perfect, was nixed by NIMBY-pamby Highland Park residents).
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:12 PM on January 26, 2004
"break into?" I think it already has if games are on ABC/ESPN, four teams have their own stadiums and foreign clubs want in.